Registration begins at 9 a.m. at Kennedy Park, with the parade starting at 9:30 a.m. Bonnets must be homemade; they will be judged on the most colorful, most unusual and prettiest. The parade is limited to children ages 6 and younger.

The Easter egg hunt will take place after the parade. It will be divided into four age groups: 1 to 2 years old; 3 to 4 years old; 5 to 6 years old; and 7 to 9 years old.

The Easter Bunny is scheduled to make an appearance at the free celebration.

For more information, call Hayward Area Recreation and Park District at 510-881-6700. Kennedy Park is at 19501 Hesperian Blvd.

SAN LEANDRO — Local author Mitali Perkins will moderate a panel discussion about The Big Read 2015 novel “Into the Beautiful North” from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, March 27, at the San Leandro Main Library Lecture Hall, 300 Estudillo Ave.

Perkins will moderate a panel of four librarians from the Biblioteca Para La Gente, who will discuss the themes referenced in the book by Luis Alberto Urrea.

“No one writes more tragically or intimately about border culture than this son of a Mexican father and Anglo mother,” journalist Bill Moyers said of Urrea, author of numerous works of fiction, nonfiction and poetry.

In his third novel, “Into the Beautiful North,” Urrea transcends the “us against them” discourse of immigration and writes with compassion, complexity and humor about the people and places caught up in the border wars.

Urrea invites readers to think of the border as more than a stark divide between nations: He reminds us that it is a place of convergence where meaningful conversations, and even love, between cultures begins.

Perkins, the guest speaker and panel moderator of The Big Read 2014, will return to moderate this year’s discussion.

Her eight novels include “Rickshaw Girl” (chosen by the New York Public Library as one of the top 100 books for children in the past 100 years) and “Bamboo People” (listed as American Library Association’s Top Ten Novels for Young Adults, starred and described in Publishers Weekly as “a graceful exploration of the redemptive power of love, family, and friendship.”).

The panel discussion is a free event and no prior registration is required. Seats are available on a first come, first served basis.

The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. For more information, call Mary Beth Barloga at 510-577-3992

CHERRYLAND — Cherryland is having its seventh annual “Easter Egg-stravaganza” on Saturday, March 28.

The festival at Meek Estate Park will include Easter egg hunts by age groups for kids up to age 12. Those taking part should bring a basket.

Children ages 3 to 12 can compete in an egg roll; bring your own hard-boiled egg.

Other activities include an Easter bonnet parade and contest; categories include most unusual, Victorian, funniest, character theme and best in show.

Community, food vendor, face painting and craft booths will be set up at the park. The Easter Bunny will pose for pictures; don’t forget your camera.

The free festival will start at 10 a.m., with registration at 9 a.m. at the park, 240 Hampton Road. It is sponsored by the Cherryland Community Association and the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District.

SAN LEANDRO – Every parent has experienced the discomfort—and possibly avoidance—of discussing sensitive issues and having difficult conversations with their child.

San Leandro parent Rebecca Day-Rodriguez, a trainer and facilitator with twenty years’ experience, will be presenting a workshop titled “From Challenges to Connection: Strategies for Tackling Difficult Conversations with Our Children” at 10 a.m., at the School Readiness/Early Learning Forum, on Saturday, March 28, at Jefferson Elementary School, 14300 Bancroft Ave.

Day-Rodriguez, the parent of three children in San Leandro schools, has extensive experience running support groups and training youth and providers on subjects ranging from reproductive health and substance use to sexual assault prevention and meeting the needs of LGBTQ and people of color communities.

“As a parent,” Day-Rodriguez said, “I have found this experience only moderately prepared me for the anxiety and pressure of answering my own children’s questions.”

• Building Strong Foundations: Making the Connections between Play and Later Academic Success, presented by Julie Nicholson, Mills College, Center for Play Research; and Michelle Grant-Groves, founding director, Inquiry, Intention and Innovation Institute

• Yoga in the Classroom, and The Yoga of Parenting, presented by Christina Robohm

The day will feature remarks by Alameda County Office of Education Superintendent of Schools L. Karen Monroe and San Leandro Mayor Pauline Cutter, strong advocates of early learning.

Lunch will include a panel discussion featuring educators Victoria Forrester, Rachelle Parham, Sonal Patel and Christie Anderson, moderated by Linda Olivenbaum, director of the California Early Childhood Mentor Program at Chabot College, and the vice chair of the California Association for the Education of Young Children Public Policy Committee.

This event is free, with child care available. It is funded through the generosity of First 5 Alameda County, and supported by Davis Street Family Resource Center and Primary Care Clinic, East Bay Agency for Children, Lakeshore Learning, Kenneth Pon, CPA, Kidango, and the San Leandro Education Foundation.

To register, visit www.slusd.us, and click on the link under announcements.

A warning from Hayward police about supposed calls from Internal Revenue Service claiming money owed. A simple thing to remember: the IRS ONLY CONTACTS BY MAIL But those phone messages are scary; I received one and it was intimidating.

From Hayward police:

This is a warning to taxpayers to beware of phone calls from individuals claiming to represent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or U.S. Treasury Department in an effort to collect money from you.

The Hayward Police Department received numerous calls from concerned citizens claiming they have received calls with pre-recorded messages, such as, “This message is intended to contact you regarding an enforcement action executed by U.S. Treasury/IRS.” Callers tell intended victims they owe taxes and must pay using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. The callers threaten those who refuse to pay with arrest, deportation or loss of a business or driver’s license. They would leave the return contact name of “Steve Martin” or other IRS personnel.

According to the IRS, they contact people by mail – not by phone – about unpaid taxes. And the IRS won’t ask for payment using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. The IRS also won’t ask for a credit card number over the phone.

The callers who commit this fraud often:
• Use common names and fake IRS badge numbers.
• Know the last four digits of the victim’s Social Security Number.
• Make caller ID information appear as if the IRS is calling.
• Send bogus IRS e-mails to support their scam.
• Call a second time claiming to be the police or department of motor vehicles, and the caller ID again supports their claim.

If you get a call from someone claiming to be with the IRS/U.S. Treasury asking for a payment, here’s what to do:
• If you owe Federal taxes, or think you might owe taxes, hang up and call the IRS at 800-829-1040. IRS workers can help you with your payment questions.
• If you don’t owe taxes, call and report the incident to TIGTA at 800-366-4484.
• You can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.FTC.gov. Add “IRS Telephone Scam” to the comments in your complaint.

Be alert for e-mail scams that use the IRS name. The IRS will never request personal or financial information by e-mail, texting or any social media. You should forward scam e-mails to phishing@irs.gov. Don’t open any attachments or click on any links in those e-mails.

To report a scam: http://www.treasury.gov/tigta/contact_report_scam.shtml

HAYWARD — Four women of different ages, backgrounds and professions will explore gender equality issues in a panel discussion March 26.

The conversation will take place at the city’s third Hayward Honors Women.

The panelists are Gail Steele, former Hayward councilwoman and Alameda County supervisor; Cecily Joseph, a vice president at Symantec; Farima Pour-Khorshid, a doctoral student and part-time bilingual kindergarten teacher; and Ana Rangel, a UC Berkeley graduate who earlier took part in Puente and Upward Bound. All four are from Hayward.

Janet Reilly will moderate the panel discussion. Reilly is host of “The Mix,” a news magazine show on NBC Bay Area.

Hayward Honors Women was started as a teach-in by former Hayward City Councilman Mark Salinas.

“We’ve assembled a truly remarkable group of Hayward women for this year’s event,” Mayor Barbara Halliday said in a statement.

“They reflect the city’s unparalleled diversity, and each one of them brings a completely different, incredibly valuable voice to the discussion. This should be an interesting and engaging event,” she said.

The event will be 5 to 7 p.m. March 26 at Hayward City Hall, 777 B St.

FRI, 3/6/15 at 4:08 PM, a KIDNAPPING ATTEMPT occurred on the 24000 block of Whitman Street. A White or Hispanic male in his 20s, grabbed a 14-year-old female and tried to force her into his vehicle. The victim fought off the attack and was able to escape and call for help. The suspect was driving a newer white Honda 4-door or similar model. A media notification and possible sketch of the suspect were released.

FRI, 3/6/15 at 10:43 PM, a PAROLE VIOLATION occurred on Dixon Street and Tennyson Road. A patrol officer attempted a stop on a vehicle for a traffic violation. The driver started to pull over, but then accelerated away. The officer broadcast the vehicle information and its direction of travel. Another officer who was in the area noticed two males running from a vehicle similar to the one that fled from traffic stop. The officer was able to detain one of the men, who was later identified as the driver of the vehicle. The suspect was arrested for a parole violation and delaying a police investigation.

SAT, 3/7/15 at 6:51 AM, an ASSAULT WITH A DEADLY WEAPON incident occurred on the 28000 block of Huntwood Avenue. A transient male was dropped off at a hospital in Oakland for a stab wound to his neck. The victim was at a park when he began to argue with three males. The three males beat the victim and one male stabbed the victim in the neck with an unknown object. The victim had a puncture wound in the left side of his neck. The victim was uncooperative during his interview with officers. The victim’s injuries were not life threatening.

SUN, 3/8/15 at 6:37 AM, BURGLARY SUSPECT IN CUSTODY from an incident that occurred on the 28000 block of Bailey Ranch Road. On 3/7/15, HPD responded to a possible cat burglary in progress. After officers arrived, they were unable to locate the suspect. The next day, an officer followed up on the case and obtained identification of the suspect from some local surveillance video. The officer located the suspect and arrested him for the burglary.

MON, 3/9/15 at 6:46 AM, an ARMED ROBBERY occurred on the 29000 block of Mission Boulevard. The suspect entered the gas station, pointed his handgun at the clerk and robbed the business of cash. The suspect fled on foot towards Garin Avenue. The suspect is described as a Black male adult, 25yrs, 5’10″, 200lbs. He wore a black jacket, white beanie and white pants.

MON, 3/9/15 at 12:00 PM, a SEX REGISTRANT/PAROLEE was arrested. Hayward’s Special Duties Investigations Unit along with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officers joined together to locate a Westbay Norteno gang member. The suspect violated several conditions of his parole by going to five Hayward schools.

MON, 3/9/15 at 1:05 PM, a STRONG-ARMED ROBBERY occurred on the 21000 block of Bedford Drive. The suspect yanked a necklace off of the victim’s neck and left in a light green Dodge Caravan toward Foothill Boulevard. The suspect was described as a Hispanic male adult, short height, slender build, with short black hair. He was wearing a black jacket and jeans.

TUE, 3/10/15 at 8:43 PM, BRANDISHING A WEAPON-KNIFE, occurred at Fielding Drive and Chaucer Way. Multiple residents called HPD to report a man walking around the neighborhood with a large knife. The subject was waving it at people who were near him. As officers arrived on scene, the subject hid in some bushes but was located and taken into custody without incident.

WED, 3/11/15 at 4:06 PM, a PSYCHIATRIC DETENTION occurred on the 200 block of Jackson Street. Police were called out for a subject who was acting irrational and threatening to get a knife. When officers contacted the subject, he tried to walk away saying he was getting a knife. The officers were able to detain the subject and placed him on a mandatory psychiatric hold.